RAINBOW WASHED AWAY: Orlando fights back after Pulse memorial erased
In the dead of night on August 21, workers from Governor Ron DeSantis’ Department of Transportation rolled gray paint over a rainbow crosswalk near the site of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, a spot that had stood as a quiet, powerful tribute to the 49 lives lost and the resilience of Orlando’s queer community.
The erasure was in line with a directive from Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, who issued a nationwide memo demanding the removal of “political” artwork from crosswalks. His reasoning? “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.” Oof.
But Orlando residents weren’t having it. Within hours, the crosswalk was reborn in chalk, and a DIY repaint effort had begun. The state responded by repainting it again, and now, the Florida Highway Patrol is literally guarding the intersection to stop queer people from expressing public grief and joy through color.
🚨 Culture war alert
This isn’t about traffic safety. It’s about silencing queer public memory and sanitizing spaces where collective mourning has taken place. The rainbow doesn’t just say “Pride.” It says “we’re still here,” and they hate that.
ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ HALTED: Judge slams brakes on Everglades migrant camp
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting operations at “Alligator Alcatraz”, the cruel nickname for Florida’s remote migrant detention center, built deep in the Everglades wetlands. Since its sudden creation two months ago, the facility has drawn national outrage for detaining migrants in horrific conditions: 32 people per cage, little ventilation, and no access to legal counsel or medical aid.
The lawsuit, filed by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, argues that the camp violates tribal land rights and threatens local ecosystems. But the deeper truth is this: it’s a punitive spectacle designed to criminalize migration and sidestep human rights law.
DeSantis has already promised to appeal the ruling while preparing to open a second facility up north, nicknamed “Deportation Depot” (because apparently subtlety is dead).
🚨 Culture war alert
This isn’t about border security. It’s about institutionalizing cruelty, demonizing immigrants, and building carceral infrastructure that exists outside public oversight. And it’s all wrapped in the language of “law and order” to hide its fascist undertones.
FREE SPEECH FOR ME, NOT FOR THEE: Rubio sued over deportations for dissent
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is being sued by FIRE (a free speech watchdog org) for his role in a sweeping crackdown on foreign nationals who criticize U.S. policy especially those speaking out for Palestine.
Since Trump’s second inauguration, foreign students, exchange visitors, and tourists have faced visa cancellations, detentions, and deportations for things like social media posts or attending protests. FIRE’s lawsuit challenges two federal laws that give Rubio nearly unchecked power to silence dissent by revoking immigration status.
🚨 Culture war alert
This is textbook authoritarianism. The message is clear: if you’re not a citizen, your voice doesn’t count, and if you are, be careful who you stand with. The government’s war on immigrants is also a war on free thought.
PANCAKES & PREJUDICE: Cracker Barrel pulls Pride and DEI pages after right-wing meltdown
On August 19, Cracker Barrel, the syrupy southern chain known for its porch chairs and “y’all come back now” vibes, debuted a minimalist rebrand as part of its new “All the More” campaign. Gone was the iconic barrel man logo, swapped for simple brown text on a gold background. Clean, cute, totally benign.
Or so they thought.
The far right immediately lost it. Social media lit up with accusations that Cracker Barrel had “gone woke,” with conservatives blaming the redesign on the company’s “DEI regime” and its prior LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. And instead of holding the line, Cracker Barrel folded like a dollar store napkin: its Pride and DEI webpages were quietly scrubbed from the company’s site.
While the company claims the deletions were simply part of a general update, archival tools (like the Wayback Machine, shout out to archivists) show that previously visible statements of LGBTQ+ inclusion and support for employee resource groups are now completely gone. Even the phrase “DEI” has been buried and replaced with a watered-down “Culture and Belonging” page.
Cracker Barrel made their choice. And let’s be honest, it ain’t the first time. (Some of us remember their openly anti-LGBTQ+ policies in the ’90s. Their corporate policy was to fire employees who did not demonstrate “normal heterosexual values,” leading to the termination of at least 11 gay employees.)
🚨 Culture war alert
What’s happening here is not accidental. It’s part of a much larger effort by MAGA politicians and media outlets to destroy any institutional commitment to equity, inclusion, and public acknowledgment of queerness. From school districts to the Pentagon to your Aunt Janet’s favorite breakfast joint, they are turning “DEI” into a dirty word and pushing corporations to choose between being inclusive or being left alone.
